rndy: Yay mass quoting! May this tradition never end! I love Riho's perspective, she's awesome! Beyond awesome! Sensible yet snarky at the same time. I'm glad you like Gokkie interaction, because there's more to come!

SarangAi: Hiiiiiii! Welcome to the thread! I'm glad you found it funny. Forgive me if I sound a little high, because I am high.

drac: I wonder if you get to dibs this time. We'll see. I wonder if you really know what I'm planning/have planned. I suspect we're in the same ballpark, but not quite the exact same spot. I think its too late for you, gracula dear. Your name is already synonymous with crack. Maybe we should change your name to crackula.

Kuji: Riho is my favorite newb too! *high fives* Yeah it's been a while since I've seen a Konkon around here. We need more adorable mad scientists geniuses. Glad I managed to get your attention with this. I somehow sense we're going to go with the Everyone-Loves-Riho schtick in the near future. Kinda like how Everyone-Loves-Ai. I tend to do that with all my favorites (and it tends to catch on?!). And I refuse to ignore you because sleepy!Kuji is adowaaableeeeee!!!!!

Shiawase_Honoo: Hi hi! Welcome! Weeeeee I have first fic for 9th gen! Go me! Haha. Do stick around some more!

taylortot: Another new face in my thread! Yayness!

kawaii beam: I can't wait to write more either, but I get busy... D:

mode107: Been a while since I've seen you on any of my threads! And it does rather seem like Gilmore Girls, doesn't it? Funny thing is, I've never actually watched that show, though I certainly know of it. More crack is always good, no?

oddball: Ai-chan loves her daughter. And fail!5thgen is part of their charm, I think?! Welcome aboard and enjoy the ride!

There are some women uniquely suited to pregnancy, and some women who are uniquely not.

Takahashi Ai belonged to the latter.

For starters she did not develop that ethereal glow that some expecting mothers would inevitably take on as their pregnancy progresses. Unlike Iida-sensei, their school nurse, who looked perfectly at ease and at peace with the world during her pregnancy, Ai's temper grew along with her girth. She was waspish. She was tempermental. She was short (in all meanings of the word, but she would have murdered you with a toothpick if you said it to her).

Thankfully though, she never developed depression like some of her more unfortunate counterparts. There might have been times where she burst into tears for no apparent reason, but then again she had always been one to cry at the drop of a hat. It had absolutely nothing to do with how the whole course of her life had changed. But that's another story.

She grew. She swelled. She started waddling in her sixth month, but that handicap didn't quite stop her from breaking furniture (not by sitting on it, mind). It might not have been the incident with the door her daughter remembered in later years , but the poor cupboard would never be quite the same again. To Riho's credit, she never asked why the bottom drawers could not open (there were no drawers there, just splinters covered by a nice front). She understood that it was just one of Those Things.

To put quite simply, Takahashi Ai couldn't have waited for her pregnancy to be over. In fact, her impatience must have communicated to her then-unborn daughter, who decided to make an early appearance a whole two months before schedule, and quite nearly killed her in the process.

Not that Ai ever told her daughter. It was just something that you didn't tell your children, especially not while they were still young and impressionable. Ai didn't think laying on the guilt trip was a good idea. There were other ways to compel obedience (that did not involve too much violence).

All things considered, it was a fairly normal pregnancy, if one discounted the absence of the other biological parent. Ai had no regrets though (really. ok, maybe. fine, oodles and oodles of it). Given the chance, she would -not- do it again.

Which was why she was eyeing the tea that Konno Asami just passed to her with a suspicious look. The bespectacled genius rolled her eyes.

"For heaven's sake, Ai-chan, I didn't even make that tea."

Ai gave her a narrow look, before shrugging and taking a sip anyway. Paranoid people lived longer. At least, if they didn't die on the way to becoming paranoid.

"Some day, you guys will tell us just exactly why Ai-chan does that around you."

The two girls in question exchanged glances, and Konno shrugged.

"Her story to tell, not mine." She paused. "But I maintain that it was not my fault. Not intentionally, anyway."

"You really need to stop bringing your work home." Ai muttered. Next to her, Makoto grinned at the youngest member of their group.

"Tell that to our Gaki. She always has to bring hers home...or to someone else's home." Everyone grinned at that.

Said Gaki, otherwise known as Niigaki Risa, scowled at her friends, but the look held little real malice. Even now she was tapping subconsciously on her smartphone, as if loathe to part from her work.

"I'm an interior designer," she said a little defensively. "Everything starts from home."

"Yeah, but at least Gaki-san's work doesn't blow things up. Or change things." Ai gave another pointed, possibly half-joking look at Asami, who was feigning innocence over her coffee and discreetly flipping through a small black book.

"Like that time in high school." Makoto remarked humorously. "How long did it take for your hair to stop glowing in the dark?"

Risa groaned. "Don't remind me. My sister still brings it up whenever she runs out of things to talk about."

The four women chatted inanely about various things, taking the time and opportunity to catch up. It was rare for them to meet up these days, what with all of them busy with their own lives.

Growing up does that to people, Ai thought wistfully. Her own life had veered sharply off its original course with the addition of her daughter to her life, 12 years ago. Had it not been for that, surely she would be similar to her friends, able to chat freely about work and its various complications? Even if they were all in different lines.

Makoto was talking animatedly about a snooty model she met in Paris while she was assisting at the set up for a fashion show, which led Risa to follow up with her own experience with the unreasonable demands of "that diva of a celebrity" while on the job. Asami was happily eating the snacks on the table with her usual pace (slow), before commenting about her difficulties in getting a research grant for her ongoing project.

Their topics, while running on parallel lines with each other, were still on the same level. Ai thought about her own life, and shrank a little inside. All she had to talk about was her daughter, whom she loved dearly, but it somehow felt off topic. Like it would disrupt the easy flow of conversation by introducing something out of place.

"Oi Ai-chan! What are you doing being so quiet?" Makoto said with her usual exuberance, but there was a hint of concern. Risa was looking over with the same vague concern. The two of them were always more sensitive to her moods than she liked. Asami, for her part, kept on eating.

"It's not the Ai-chan we know!" Risa agreed. She contorted her face into an approximation of Ai and said "Whatcha talking 'bout, Gaki-san~" in a terribly exaggerated version of Ai's accent.

THWACK!

The resounding smack on Risa's arm from Ai's palm was louder than it actually hurt. The other two burst into laughter as Risa dramatically keeled over and acted like someone just amputated her limb. Ai's scowl faded almost as quickly, caught along with the mood.

"And that, is the Ai-chan we know." Makoto wiped away the tears from her face, still heaving a little from laughing too hard. Asami grinned.

"Right fierce little tiger in lambskin. You're not fooling us with those doe eyes~"

"Oh shuddap..." Ai mumbled, the dialect of her youth returning unconsciously as her cheeks reddened. Risa was looking over her arm and rubbing it ruefully.

"Did you really have to hit that hard? I think it's gonna leave a bruise..." She whined, massaging her abused arm. Ai lowered her head.

"Sorry..."

Risa shrugged. "No sweat. It's cold these days, so I'll be wearing long sleeves anyway. It'll fade in a few days." Her phone buzzed again, insistently. Upon checking it, Risa rolled her eyes skyward with a long-suffering sigh.

"And ojou-sama calls once again. Probably to change her plans for only the 113th time." She massaged her temples. "I really don't want to deal with this right now..."

She picks up the phone and is instantly all business, pushing herself away from the table and stepping outside to continue the call. Makoto turned to Asami, who was admiring the pudding on her plate, as if deliberating where to start first.

"Do you think she actually counts?"

The mad scientist spooned some pudding into her mouth and swallowed. The other two waited patiently for her response, used to the genius's pace.

"I would think so, yes." Came the answer, and Ai glanced outside to see Risa with an obvious tic on her face, but still managing to sound vaguely polite to her client.

"Speaking of stress, raising a kid on your own can't be easy." Asami commented idly, stirring yet another cube of sugar into her tea. Ai bit back the instinctive reprimand that was hovering on her lips. Trying to be a good mother does things to a person's psyche (emphasis on trying).

"I don't actually do it alone, I mean, my mom takes care of a lot for me..." Ai muttered, fingering the hem of her jacket nervously. To be completely honest with herself, there were times when she still felt like a kid in front of her mother, even though she now had her own daughter. It made her feel incredibly inadequate...both as a child and as a mother.

"Yeah, but Riho-chan is still your daughter." Makoto sipped at her juice. "Can't argue with the blood...not to mention that huge responsibility that comes with it." She shuddered. "I don't know if I could handle the stress of being responsible for a tiny human being."

Ai's lips quirked slightly. "Riho is a good girl." She reflected quietly. "Sometimes I think she's the one looking out for me. I have absolutely no idea if I'm doing anything right, but I feel like I learn more from being with her every day, and that there's always more to learn."

"Children are sometimes the best teachers." Asami opined, looking over at Ai. "You've really matured, Ai-chan."

"Yeah that was unexpectedly adult of her, wasn't it?" Risa chipped in from behind, reaching down to ruffle Ai's hair while pretending to wipe away a (obviously fake) tear.

"Look at her, all grown up." Ai made an exasperated noise, folding her arms huffily as she puffed out her cheeks.

"Mou, you guys..."

Risa smirked, idly untangling her fingers from Ai's hair before running them down its length. Her fingers came up empty only too soon.

"You've always kept your hair short after you had Riho..."

Ai shook her head impatiently. "It's too much work to maintain long hair and be a mother at the same time. It's easier this way. Besides," she fingered the ends of her own hair speculatively, "it's been getting a little bit longer lately."

"Really? I can't tell." Asami admitted, squinting this way and that.

"And you're the one who sees Ai-chan most often." Makoto scoffed, using her hands to make a mock picture frame of Ai's face.

"It does look a little longer than the last time I saw her..."

"Mako-chan, you haven't seen her, or any of us, for the last 6 months!"

"Really, where does the time go?"

Before the impending argument could start, Risa broke it up by interrupting with a cough.

"Sorry girls, but I gotta hightail it outta here." She sighed. "Apparently I absolutely have to be at my client's place immediately or the world might end." She finished with a definite edge of sarcasm, her eyes already naturally migrating as far north as possible.

"Aww, but it's been so long since our last reunion!"

"If you stayed in town more often, it wouldn't be this hard to organize one!"

"I can't help that if my job takes me places!"

Risa shot the squabbling pair another one of her long-suffering expressions, which was matched by one of infinite patience from Ai. Simultaneously, they shrugged.

"Tell Riho-chan I'm sorry not to be able to make it to dinner." Risa said quietly. Ai nodded in understanding.

"Riho's a sensible girl. She'll understand. You better get going before you're late." Ai couldn't help slipping into "mother mode". Another side effect of raising a child, no doubt.

Risa took on a worried expression. "Are you sure she'll be ok though, I mean, auditions notwithstanding, what if she gets herself into more than she can handle? She's still just a kid..."

"I trust my daughter." Ai said calmly, with more conviction than she actually felt, but wanting to believe anyway. "Riho wanted to do this, so I'll support her with all I can, and make sure that she can work towards her dream with no regrets." A smile tinged with the edges of regret graced Ai's face, but she did not continue with the words unsaid. There was no need to say them.

"Ai-chan has always been the dreamer of the four of us." Makoto interrupted suddenly, her and Konno obviously listening in to what the oldest of their group had to say.

"And Riho obviously inherited that from you..." Asami was scribbling in her journal again.

Risa looked around at her best friends, her worries still present on her face, but finding herself unable to continue in such an atmosphere. With a barely noticeable shrug, she embraced each of the other girls in turn before bidding farewell.

"Ne, do you think sometimes Gaki gets too worked up over this?" Makoto commented after a moment.

"Isn't that how she usually reacts to things?" Ai replied, confused.

"She's always been a little extreme, but more so with you after you just announced to us one day that you were pregnant." Asami stated with an eerie precision.

"Well she's probably just worried..." Ai mumbled.

"With good reason, I think." Makoto leaned closer to Ai. "Don't you think it's about time you told us who the father was? You never did, no matter how we pestered you, and even after all these years..."

Ai mumbled something incomprehensible, and Asami stepped in to defend her friend.

"Mako-chan, just leave her alone. She'll talk when she wants to."

"You know something, don't you?" Makoto accused. "I just can't believe...ah, what does it matter? You two weirdos can just keep your secrets" She folded her arms, pouting ever so slightly. "Ai-chan has always been more stubborn than a bull anyway." Her tone softened then, becoming almost playful. "I'll be more likely to convince Pon-chan here to give up sweets than to change that stubborn pride of Ai-chan's."

"How mean!"

As they descended into the usual banter, Ai smiled lightly once again.

It was good to have friends.

=============================================================

So it got a wee bit serious in between. Well, an adult has adult problems, no? Riho can have a more stress-free view of things (hence upping the level of crack). I did say this had some warm family drama involved...and more.

Edit: half an hour later (I'm not a cheater, Bee-rinko. This is dibs with intent.)

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There are some women uniquely suited to pregnancy, and some women who are uniquely not.

Takahashi Ai belonged to the latter.

For starters she did not develop that ethereal glow that some expecting mothers would inevitably take on as their pregnancy progresses. Unlike Iida-sensei, their school nurse, who looked perfectly at ease and at peace with the world during her pregnancy, Ai's temper grew along with her girth. She was waspish. She was tempermental. She was short (in all meanings of the word, but she would have murdered you with a toothpick if you said it to her).

The wordophile in me wishes to bring this well-written excerpt behind the school gym and get it pregnant.

Gokkies banter- you made me miss them so much I want to take my old H!M episodes behind a school gym and rewatch them.

There is nothing about this update I do not love (in a platonic way). But I will forgo quoting, for surely, there will be many below me who will do so. Instead, I shall make GROSS SPECULATIONS:-

1) My first thought: Riho was a petri dish baby2) Upon more information, the following theories were formed: immaculate birth, Konkon parthenogenesis, d*ckgirl!Ai self-impregnation, Risa impregnates Ai via the aforementioned method. (did i say GROSS speculations? yes, yes I did.)3) Revelation of exclusive Konno/Ai sekrits, with no further clues: Sigh.4) "that diva of a celebrity" = Sayu, or Reina, or Eri - well, a Rokkie, in any case.

I'm happy to be writing again too!!!! There's nothing that brings the same satisfaction, or gives me the same type of shit-eating grin. I intend to brainwash everyone into liking 9th gen (well, I have this weird attachment towards Riho...)

I'm glad to hear that!

If you're a true writer at heart, I just don't think you can give it up.

Since the semi-question wasn't quite answered last time, I'll ask it again:

I'm guessing this means Gegenschein will be put on hold indefinitely? :/

I hope that stood out a bit more this time around...

Chapter 1 - That Ain't Cool:

I approve, I approve!

This was such a fun start, and I loved the way you voiced Riho here. Even though I'm not a fan of any of the 9th gens yet, I can already see myself falling for Riho here, hard! Her personality already seems so at odds with her dopey mama Ai-chan hmmm... she's cute, that much is obvious for a 12 year old, but already I'm getting stubborn/grossly-independent/tsukkomish vibes from her. Hmm. Whatever, she's just a very cool kid. I can imagine her sighing and rolling her eyes at every odd thing her mama does... cuuuteee

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Riho raised her eyes ceilingward. Mama, I love you, but you need to grow a spine. And possibly a brain.

Disrespectful child!!! (*Bee speaking as a typical Asian...*) The nerve of her thoughts! Wow. I wonder how often she says such things straight to Ai's face... and what Ai thinks of that... oh gawwwd

Riho decided that her mother's snark needed work, but the deadpan tone was spot on.

Rihoooo... *pats her head*

Such a funny child.

Quote

Riho also happened to know that despite being small, her Mama could quite easily break down a door by kicking it in. That had been quite the legendary moment when her normally sedate Mama had lost her temper.

*Bee loves violent & hot tempered Ai-chan*

Are we going to get some flashbacks one day? Maybe with omakes?

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*Riho's message*

She really turned the tables on her mama, didn't she? xD

Ahhhh, what a little smart alec, with the whole 'Oh and Mama, please don't forget to take your medicine. You really shouldn't be out when you have a cold. Please take care, and dress warmly.'

If I had a little kid like that, I would smack her too. A lot. I don't blame Ai-chan.

Quote

There was a long moment of silence.

"You know, obviously she didn't get the bitchy part from you..."

"Kon-chan? Shut up."

Chapter 2 - No Such Thing:

Ahhhh~ the first part detailing ever so briefly Ai's pregnancy was done very stylishly

Nice, comedic touches... I almost liked this first part more than the Gokkies girl talk after

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Ai's temper grew along with her girth. She was waspish. She was tempermental. She was short (in all meanings of the word, but she would have murdered you with a toothpick if you said it to her).

Ahhhh, I loved this description!

Again. I have a girl crush on violent Ai-chan. The image of her using a toothpick as a murder weapon is too funny

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She grew. She swelled. She started waddling in her sixth month, but that handicap didn't quite stop her from breaking furniture (not by sitting on it, mind). It might not have been the incident with the door her daughter remembered in later years , but the poor cupboard would never be quite the same again. To Riho's credit, she never asked why the bottom drawers could not open (there were no drawers there, just splinters covered by a nice front). She understood that it was just one of Those Things.

I'm sure Riho has her speculations too? Knowing her mother's temper?

LOL. Those Things without capital T's. Serious stuff

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There were other ways to compel obedience (that did not involve too much violence).

I'm anticipating a (caringly) violent scene between Ai-chan and Riho in the near future. With all the conflicts I'm sure they'll have, it'll be fun and horrifying to watch at the same time.

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Ai thought about her own life, and shrank a little inside.

Awwwww~

Poor thing. I really do hope by the end of the story you'll give Ai-chan some closure in this respect

Quote

To be completely honest with herself, there were times when she still felt like a kid in front of her mother, even though she now had her own daughter. It made her feel incredibly inadequate...both as a child and as a mother.

You have those people in life who never truly 'graduate' from being a child for their parents... people who'll always be somewhat of a big kid at heart. Ai-chan might be one of these. She probably had to grow up QUICK when she realised she was going to have a kid, giving up a few things in the process.

Anyways, everybody has their own ways of parenting; I'm sure Ai-chan is perfectly adequate. Maybe not the perfect role model for Riho, but I'm sure she has so many other things going for her that Riho wouldn't have been able to learn from many other parents.

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Ai's lips quirked slightly. "Riho is a good girl." She reflected quietly. "Sometimes I think she's the one looking out for me. I have absolutely no idea if I'm doing anything right, but I feel like I learn more from being with her every day, and that there's always more to learn."

TAKAHASHI FAMILY~

Ai-chan is very quick to praise her daughter, mmhmm. So sweet.

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"Really? I can't tell." Asami admitted, squinting this way and that.

And you're the one who sees Ai-chan most often." Makoto scoffed

Well actually... the more often you see someone, the harder it is to see changes in them

Kinda like how you can't believe how big your kid's gotten until you look at old pictures of them, while a visiting acquaintance may be able to tell right away how much they've grown in the time since they've last met. ^___^

Nice to see Gokkies bonding! ahhhh, the playfulness between all of them is fun to read

I'm going to take a break from my now-routine Gegenschein-prodding and instead root for this. Haven't been paying attention to 9th gen for a good long while (if ever), so my impressions are going to be entirely colored by you. How's that for author power?

Chapter 1 had more crack - I think you've foisted your usual 'let x be the reader of the atmosphere' onto Riho which is mighty interesting. Who is this Yuu-chan you speak of? Surely it isn't Kikka That train must not have been a very full train, becos I wonder what everyone else was thinking.

& I want to know what're Konkon's research interests. They must represent everything Ai-chan is afraid of. XDDD

Dibbers. I call foul on that practice! D:< Until I do that next time before all of you!

Anyway, I like imagining pregnant!Ai in my head, she's rather like a charging bull and it's fun to watch those when you're a safe distance away. Thanks for clearing up that she didn't break the furniture by sitting on them, by the way. The way Ai is described I wouldn't have thought that either. Hormones make the lady dangerous. They do say skinny girls have harder pregnancies and Ai is so tiny. When people mention 'child-bearing hips', they definitely don't mean hips like hers but Riho being an early baby amuses me for some reason. Somehow it seems to fit her personality.

I think for my speculations of who Riho's father is, this picture sums it up pretty well:

No darling Riho in this chapter but the conversation between the gokkies was like a reunion for the readers too. I might even be a little teary-eyed. I laughed at the Ai to Gaki abuse. That is... just so hilariously them. Also, as you might have gathered, I find violent Ai funny. o_o;

I like the occupations you've given each of the girls and I feel for Ai for thinking that she's maybe a little behind, career-wise. Gaki the workaholic, huh? Enjoying the stress? Usually, people who are overly attached to work are that way because they use work to distract them from something else. I wonder if this is the case with Risa. Well... at least Risa bringing her work home doesn't end up with someone having a baby. >_>;

Looking forward to the appearance of the snooty starlet WHOEVER THIS MAYBE *COUGGHHHHH*, Riho-vision and maybe the introduction of the other 9kkies in the near future? Also, will Mogi make a true to life appearance as one that doesn't make it? Haaa. No, that's mean.

If not for work, you would have seen how un-adorable sleepy me actually is because I would have whined to you about this fic SO MUCH and maybe I would have held your hat hostage until I got another chapter.

i'm feeling sorry thinking that ai-chan had gone under asami's mad experiments... preggy is not easy ehhh~ and it seems she was young when she had itand definitely got no father. and her friends don't know it except the mad scientist. and she can't tell that the baby doesn't really have a father. how terrible...

It must be hard for Ai, seeing all her friends in thier career's whist she has had a baby so not the carrer it must be tough because she's the only one.... so Asami knows who the father is.... I wonder how she found out? (my guess: mad experiments!)

Gaki being very concerend for Ai, something more than friendship involved perhaps......

I really like how this story develop Riho as Ai's daughter is interesting and LOL at Gokkies stalking her wow... pregnant Ai is scary... she hates her pregnancy but she definitely love her daughter the question is who's Riho's father?looks like Konkon and Gaki somehow involved or know something about itand seeing Ai's warning to Riho, looks like Ai drink/eat something from Konno's experiment and gets pregnant

I think this update was too "girls talk" for me, although I do watch (and love) Gilmore Girls and even suggested that kind of relationship to you... Didn't know you haven't ever watched the show though... You really should while writing this story. It might give you some ideas, or at the least make you laugh.

Looking forward to upcoming Riho-vision!! I wonder if she'll meet Kanon at the audition? I have a feeling whichever way, it will be an auspicious day.

Bee: You are thereby banned from dibbing. Seriously. 10 days to update your comment?! But then again you have an epically long one, so I can almost forgive you. And I'm going to ignore that question. I do rather like writing Riho, I feel like I'm getting a grasp on her character as more about her is revealed through interviews and blogs. She's definitely independent and has a mind of her own. Not a pushover, for certain. She definitely is tougher than Ai in some respect lol. Then again, with a dorky mama like that, someone has to take care of their interests. And I promise I'll write violent!Ai omakes some time. We'll see when I'm in the mood. Ai is rather proud of daughter, isn't she? But then again, she's always kinder with others than with herself. It's a very Ai thing to do. Lol. The question of Riho's father is the central mystery here, isn't it? I love how everyone has ideas (though drac's gross speculations take the cake >_> ). And you want crack? Crack you shall have then.

rndy: Ah, good job being third. I rather like Ai's temper tantrums. It's an aspect not played up often enough. Gokkies were fun to write. From Ai's point of view, she totally missed out on a professional career, and even if she starts now, she's still behind. Girl's a perfectionist. It makes things hard lol. I hope I didn't make you wait too long for this! ^^;

kitaoji: Hoho, I have full control over your 9th gen perceptions? Wow, I feel empowered. Like I was Popeye and someone just gave me spinach. Mmm...I. AM. HULK. *cough* Ignore that. Poor Ai. She has a lot to be afraid of, really. You want Erina? Let me think about it.

Kuji: I don't know if you're still sleeping or awake as I do this. We'll see if you get first place this time. The idea of pregnant!Ai is horrifying yet amusing to imagine. I'm glad I managed to paint that kind of picture. The poor girl. Violent Ai is more certainly hilarious though. It's so her, yet not her at the same time. And Gaki bringing work home probably won't result in babies, unless she got drunk on the job or something. Lol. Don't give me ideas! I think this chapter will make you happy. And yes she who doesn't make it is here too. NO! Not the hat! Anyway, the hat belongs to ME. Your arguments are therefore invalid, by law of Hat. So there.

SarangAi: Slice of life is more relaxing to write. I'm glad you find it realistic! Especially since I have no idea of pregnancy or children in general.

mode107: AAAAGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH! MY EYES! THEY BURN!!! ....that was my reaction, btw. I think you managed to top drac's gross speculations. Congratulations. Now I have to delete that image from my brain, somehow. >_>

aya-chii: Mad experiments? Maybe. Having a mad scientist for a good friend can be hazardous to your health. Lol. Ai has definitely had it hard.

oddball: Mhm Ai being the only one who has a kid isn't easy. Your whole life is taken over by your kid. Your peers who haven't married simply cannot understand. They can be there for you, but they're not you. That's what I wanted to get across, somehow.

eruchan: The million dollar question, who is Riho's father? Too bad, I'm not telling. Well, not yet. Poor Asami is getting all the heat for causing Ai's predicament. I almost feel sorry for her lol.

rokun: But of course, you're a boy. Girls talk isn't for you. Next chapter isn't quite Riho-vision, but we still get an awesome vision anyway! Hehe, as for RihoKanon, we'll see. They're still too young right now, but who knows?

Time to edit and post. That was a lot of work for comment replies alone. @_@

I study my nails absently, wondering if they needed a fresh coat. An idol had to keep up their appearances, which was why I was even here to begin with. They didn't actually need me to look at the little brats coming in for audition, but, you know, appearances.

Though, I must say, I'm amazed at how even the not-so-little are shameless enough to walk in through the doors. Some of them must have skipped looking in their mirrors before coming, because I would have gladly lent them mine. Have they no shame? We only want the cute and pretty ones. Talent is a bonus. Everything else can be taught, but looks can't be. No amount of plastic surgery can make a person cute. You either are, or you aren't. And sadly, most of the candidates I've seen thus far...aren't.

As Fat Girl No.3 exited, I sighed and wondered why I was here again. Not even updating my blog for the third time could sufficiently distract from this endless tedium. Why, oh why, couldn't have my darling friend been here instead? I'm pretty sure she was in the building too, since I saw her early this morning. With sunglasses. As usual.

Maybe that's why they didn't call on her. She would have scared everyone off just by sitting there and scowling. Whereas I'm just too sweet and nice and adorable to do that to the helpless little maggots crawling through the doors. Oh, the burden of being beautiful and admired!

Oh, a cute girl! I woke up a little and remembered how my manager had managed to con me into coming in the first place. You'll get to see cute young things! For the most part, I felt like I was being cheated so far. Damn you Saeko, I'll get you next time, I swear.

Alright...yawn...cute but boring. I can't even remember her name. Aine? Aina? Whatever. The moment you resemble the wallpaper, you're history. Or in this case, you don't even get a chance to be part of the history. Next please, and make it snappy.

Another fat one...that one has droopy eyes...this one with a fake smile (and fake everything)...oh is that girl for real? Bad hair, bad style...the only thing that was fixable is her face...under a knife, maybe.

I stifled another yawn, using my mirror to cover the action. Ah, my reflection is just as kawaii today! That made me feel better. This endless parade of mediocrity was making me feel dull. Can you imagine that? I can't. My mirror obviously disagrees too. Ne?

Oh what is it now? I peer over my mirror. Ok, why is that girl crying? Did someone say something? No? I know I didn't say anything. Maybe one of the staff? I glance around discreetly. Nope, I don't think they said anything particularly harsh. I think my ears would have picked up on that. Why is she crying? And ew, mucus. Please, cry elegantly. If not, just stop. Or leave. That's good too.

I almost felt bad for Mogu...I mean, Mogi, as she fled in tears. Almost. If the little mole...uh, girl can't take the heat, she obviously can't take the stress of the industry. You don't make it in this industry by being weak. You can look weak, the fans love that, but by all things sparkly and shiny, you have got to have some backbone somewhere in there. Otherwise you'll get run over within the first week. Or run away crying. Not quite unlike what Mucus, I mean, Mogi just did.

After Mucus, there was Bad Fashion Sense (those boots are a sin against mankind), followed by Mousy (who needs to speak, not squeak), and then another string of nobodies that didn't even register. I was very close to falling asleep. Or just zoning out. The producer on my right was already on his sixth cup of coffee. I felt sorry for the guy. He actually had to pay attention.

And then, it happened.

First, that confident click of her walk. There were others who wore boots. Some shuffled. Some were so jittery, they looked like they would involuntarily start tap dancing if I had just poked them. Others stomped. This girl though, clicked. Precisely, snappily.

You don't get that kind of click without a lot of practice.

Next, fashion. I love cute girls. I love looking at all sorts of cute girls. Anyone who even remotely knows me knows that, at least. I know how they dress. My sometimes-partner-in-crime is flashier than half the girls in Tokyo put together. I know these things.

This one wasn't flashy. Quite...understated, even. Black, white, accentuated with pink. Pink, I definitely approve of. The black and white made her look almost too serious, but the pink softened it. Mature, yet not sedately boring. Subtle and stylish. How rare is that?

And then that poise. Perfectly balanced, back straight and shoulders even. Yet it did not look stiff. She looked completely at ease, composed. Her face was a tad on the blank side, but it showcased a hard edge of determination. That was rare. Kids that young are rarely that focused. Hell, I had been a bundle of nerves the first time.

Then she speaks, and it's a voice that makes you look at her. Confident, unpretentious. Defiant, yet polite. Deferent, yet...challenging. A little firecracker, that's for sure.

I was definitely interested. And I wasn't the only one. Mr Producer seemed to have forgotten entirely about his empty cup of coffee, though his face remained professionally blank as he asks her for a little demonstration.

She doesn't disappoint. I think a part of me died a little inside as I watched. How does she dance like that? I want to dance like that! So. Not. Fair.

Discreetly, I peered over at the application forms in front of the producer. Aha! Takahashi Riho, 12 years old. Wait, this prodigy is only 12? What? When did they make kids like that? Why was I not informed? More importantly, where can I get one?

I think I must have tuned out on the usual pleasantries, because when I tuned back in, she was bowing and getting ready to leave. Aw, but I wanted to look at her some more!

She looks up then, and smiles. And my heart stops.

Oh. My. God. How is it possible for anything on two legs that isn't me to be that cute? It's impossible. I want to die right now. I swear I'm melting. I want to go over and hug her. Pinch her cheeks. Buy her things. Show her off to everyone. And then...

yay~ new chapter~! X3 and sayu(?) vision FTW i can totally feel the boredom of watching teh other "dull" girls as well as the excitement of when she saw riho X3 and i loled hared when she started asking where she could get a girl like riho like they could be bought in stores

Sayu as the judge? I think it’s her, the narcissism Her comments are sharp (and a bit cruel) but entertaining… well, at least she didn’t say it out loud Agree! Riho’s smile is just too cute and adorableSo Sayu (and her dear friend with sunglasses and a scowl?) is going to be Riho's senpai in the agency?